Battlefield 2: Armored Fury Review

Date: 6/7/2006

As its name implies, Battlefield 2: Armored Fury adds some new, armor-heavy
maps to Battlefield 2. There’s more to this booster pack than three new maps,
but the first thing that stands out about it is the location of those maps – the
US. Operation Midnight Sun is a night battle for control of an Alaskan port near
that state’s strategic oil pipeline. Operation Road Rage is centered on a fight
to control a major freeway interchange on the edge of suburbia. Lastly,
Operation Harvest takes place in the farm country of America’s heartland.
There’s a bit of a creepy vibe to battles involving Chinese forces in Alaska or
Middle Eastern forces invading the East Coast, but once you get past that the
maps all prove to be well-balanced and to provide some interesting dynamics to
Battlefield 2 battles.

A Warthog over suburbia.

Operation Midnight Sun is bisected by a river with a few key strategic bridge
crossings. The battle opens with the Chinese in control of the heights to the
north of the river and the USMC protecting the oil pipeline to the south.
Battles focus on controlling the bridges first to allow your forces to get your
armor across the river.

Operation Road Rage features an open killing field in the center with the
freeway interchange dominating the middle of the map. The control point sits on
top of the overpass, making it easy for aircraft to hit tanks stuck in traffic
on the onramps. Controlling the interchange is a battle of attrition as one side
tries to overwhelm the other. On the periphery lie such American staples as a
strip mall and a suburban subdivision.

Operation Harvest is fought in fields of grain dotted with small farmhouses.
Small wooded areas help to protect infantry, but this map is definitely one for
the tank jockeys … if it just wasn’t for those pesky aircraft…

Speaking of aircraft, Armored Fury adds ground attack aircraft to the mix to
counter the plethora of armor. These planes move more slowly than the previous
jets to appear in the game, and feature HUDs that help their pilots pick up on
ground targets. The new maps feature a number of anti-aircraft emplacements to
help counter the powerful new tank-busters, but it still seems that competent
pilots are given the upper hand in this struggle.